It was night when madam Mu finally let Tao go. She lingered by the pier as the crew boarded XueYa's ship, regret edged in her features.
XueYa watched her from the upper deck, feeling the sadness lingering in the air. When Tao finally joined him, ready and eager to set the ship sailing, XueYa clung to Tao's shoulder, stopping him from steering the ship.
"Would you like to stay behind, Tao?" XueYa asked. "Once the ship returns to Qiu, it might never part for the sea again. You can stay here and find a new crew to join."
"Huh?" Tao's brows crinkled in confusion. "Why? I want to go with uncle Hua and you, Captain. Even if we no longer set sail for the sea, I still want to stay close to my family."
No matter how XueYa tried to coax the pirate, Tao was adamant in following him through all eighteen levels of Hell. With the last of his words used up, XueYa could do nothing but allow Tao to pick up the wind and push the ship away from the dock.